Think You Got Game?

If you LOVE a good challenge, try at 10:30 at night with laundry still to do for tomorrow and without anything to eat since a 1/2 bacon biscuit at breakfast to coach an exhausted second-grader up two hours past her bedtime on her first day back to school after three days of throwing up to explain to a classroom full of other second graders why magnets always point north while you are still reeling from being forced all the way into oncoming traffic on a major interstate by a driver who was far too angry with somebody else entirely to sympathize that all of your precious children are in tow and a blizzard is forecasted for tomorrow as your hubby is forced out of work for lo, his 14th week of the last year. On the scale of toughness, it beats rock climbing or hang gliding and that I know from experience. I'm just sayin'.



Update: Dinner was bean dip and corn chips at 11:40, and boy was it good!!! :)

Ooh. Good Question.

It seems like any time I write an interactional post (is that a word?), you know, one that promises to describe more later or asks other bloggers' input, I have the most difficult time returning to my blog. Our past two weeks have been INSANELY busy! School issues (albeit mostly good ones, except my daughter's teacher may lose her mother to cancer very soon, so I have been substituting - fun for me and Faith, so sad for Faith's sweet, amazing teacher), researching job changes, having my parents visit on the way back from buying a home in Colorado! The kids participated in our church talent show, have homework out the wah-zoo, one is now sick and last night they got their very first pet ever! (Well, fish and frogs don't count.) The kids are over the moon! Their father and I are scrambling for basic necessities. All that AND I had just launched a major overhaul project on our home. Life has been crazy and good and full. Still, I thought the questions left were EXCELLENT and a couple of them REALLY CHALLENGED me to seriously consider some things I had not taken the time to think about previously. Doing so proved to be a tremendous exercise in blessing and God used you for it. Thank you. Here are your questions - and my answers.

Sniz asked: "If you could change one thing about your life (not your body), what would it be?"

This was the question I had to think through the most. On the surface, I thought maybe I knew what I would say immediately, especially on the particular day that I read it! But by later that afternoon, I was feeling entirely different about how I would answer. And so I chewed on it for a few days and then it led me to pray (which makes it an EXCELLENT question.) And this may sound cliche, but it's true. I don't want to change anything about my life that God doesn't want changed because I have (FINALLY) been a believer long enough to know that while there are things in my life I absolutely do not want to have to face under any circumstances (the things I would change), those are the very things that have most shaped me to be more like Him. And THAT I do want. So those things I would most like to change become a necessary means to an end. Therefore, I prayed "Lord, what would YOU like me to change? Because ultimately, that's what I would most like to change about my life." So I guess when I put aside my immediate fleshly answers of "Go to another church" or "have a more naturally easy relationship with my husband," - (it's REALLY good right now, but it's taken A LOT of hard work to get where we are) - my true hearts longing would be simply this: to be a better Christian more of the time. To better convey my faith without making non-believers feel judged, even when they're not. And to be content whatever my lot. I guess the good news is that these things CAN change the more I grow and continue to mature in Christ. :)

Sky wanted to know: "What color is your hair, what color are your eyes? How long have you known Jesus?"

That picture of the moth had been up on my 'About Me' space ever since I changed my template because at that time, my camera cord was lost and my last year's pictures were too disorganized to find a picture on CD. I chose the moth simply because I was proud of my very stinky camera for taking such a good photo. (My parents remedied my stinky camera dilemma at Christmas - thanks Mom and Dad!) So, referring to my NEW 'About Me' photo, my hair is a dark strawberry blond (pretty close to my natural color, but I do have to cover a few grays, ahem.) Unfortunately, I DON'T yet have a photo of what my hair STYLE looks like, because I am the only one ever behind the camera, so there are very few recent pictures of me. And right now, my hair is usually in a ponytail since I can not currently afford to go have it done. (Have I mentioned a few times that the nasty Oklahoma weather has been sabotaging hubby's work?) My eyes are pretty much green, although on overcast days they tend to have the hazel-gray effect.

This second question is tempting to write an entire post or three. My salvation testimony. Because I think it is an absolute miracle. I think anyone's is really, but to me that doesn't diminish the awesomeness of any one individual story. Not one tiny iota. I was being courted to Christ by a friend in college. After graduation, our schedules as newly working people were crazy and we no longer saw each other very often. Originally, I began attending church to keep fellowship with him and his family, who treated me as their own. It was the only time we could still get together. Then he landed a job that required him to work temporarily on Sundays. By then, I had heard enough to want church for more learning, and not just to see Paul. I continued to sit with his parents and sister and I heard about Jesus. I wanted to get "saved," but I didn't understand what "through Jesus" meant. The Lord was working separately on my brother through his then girlfriend, now wife, Trish. By Christmas, I and they were both frustrated with our respective churches. Since Easter, I had been trying to discern HOW exactly, one would "give their heart to Christ." (I knew NOTHING and far too much was assumed in the preaching there about a lost person's knowledge of "religious terminology.") We all decided to try "some small obscure church that none of us has been to before." We went together for Christmas service. I heard a cut and dry, crystal-clear message of the Gospel. Ditto the next week and the next. On January 2, 1994, I went to Sunday School where we were asked to give testimonies. I, of course, didn't have one. So I asked the class to pray for my understanding. An HOUR later, in service, as God spoke to me DIRECTLY, I asked Jesus Christ to be my Lord and Savior. The enemy told me no one would believe me. I told him "get lost!" because I didn't know "get thee behind me, Satan." Ha ha. About three weeks later, my brother was saved as well. A week after that, I met my husband at church. Soon, my mom confessed that she had been a backslidden Christian for many years and apologized for not having raised us with a knowledge of the Bible. She has made things right many, many times over. My family has a brand new legacy. Incidentally, my first child was born three years to the day after I became a Christian. He makes me cry every year. I am so focused on his birthday that before I can even think of it, he wishes me a "Happy Re-birth Day" every year. He is SO THOUGHTFUL.

Michelle asked: If you were given a large amount of money and told to donate it to a charity, which charity, or charities if you wanted to split, would you donate to?

I am an all or nothing kind of person. If I can't do my very best at something, then I tend to not even want to try. I am getting better in that area. But I used to get so frustrated because no matter who I might have been able to help (whether a friend or neighbor or a personal or distant charity), there is always someone I am NOT able to help. A couple of years ago, I ran into an old friend who shared some wisdom I have never forgotten. She said "I finally realized that I can not possibly ever help the entire world, so now I just try to be a blessing to the tiny little corner God put me in." Wow! This was huge to me. (I feel silly because reading it, it sounds so obvious now. Ha ha.) So, I would donate it mostly to people I know personally who are going through struggles. My friend who's husband has developed a debilitating muscular disease and can not work or even get up a lot of days. Our other friends who found out she is pregnant and has lupus and who I would LOVE to see get their own big-enough home to live in! A family at our school whose perfectly healthy little girl lost almost all function after receiving immunizations. Next, I would give liberally to the groups listed on my lower sidebar, the ACLJ and CWA. These are the groups that I have checked out extensively over several years using my reporter's research background. These are the groups that I believe (with the military, certain members of Congress, and prayers of the Saints) are directly responsible for the fact that we still have democratic liberty and at least some sense of Biblical morality still intact in our country. These are the groups that I actually do contribute to regularly because they have shown responsible use of our contributions time and time again. If you truly want help America stay blessed, I strongly encourage you to clink on these links. Also, I would LOVE to start an orphanage or two. See, I am assuming I am being given enough cash to do it ALL! :) My husband has had a hand in doing some of the work on a boys home here that we love! Also the one here in our town raises some of the most gentlemanly boys I have EVER had the pleasure of knowing. They are smart and kind and compassionate (with all they've been through, yet they think of OTHERS) and I am in AWE of the way they are being raised by caring, willing volunteers. I would LOVE to give every kid that chance. My husband and I have even discussed being house parents when our own kids fly the nest. Then if there was plenty of money left, I would donate to the causes that have become personal to me through knowledge of friends. Organ donation. Down Syndrome. And Cancer research. We have at least two friends affected by each.

Sunshine's question was: What has been the MOST transforming Bible Study you have ever done and why? Oh and what is one parenting book/style you would recommend? Or one warning you would give me going through the five year old, three year old, and one year old times!

I have done various "formal" Bible studies over the years and some of them have been very helpful to me, but in all honesty, I never learn as much as I do when I do "Spirit-led" Bible study. I much prefer to take an old-fashioned (literally, given to us by our church's retired South American missionary, who is like a grandfather to us) Concordance and start hunting (through prayer) for answers to the questions my life is bringing at that very time. Last year, I was having a lot of trouble with being hurt over the misjudgements of people who seem to purposely seek out the negative in everything. People who would assume what I did was wrong no matter how noble or righteous it may be or how honest my intentions. I already knew I couldn't change their hearts. But I was feeling so guilty at feeling so deserted and lonely because of our lack of proper communications. I had already sought to do all that I could to remedy my part in the trouble. I felt bad for, well, feeling bad. Through cries of prayer I was led to this verse: "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief." It intrigued me. That even Jesus himself was not skipping around whistling a happy tune 100% of the time. I began to look at the context of that verse, sometimes several days in a row. As God gave me more understanding, it would lead me to another verse and then another, until soon I was bringing various books of the Bible together to form a more complete picture. I am a very literal, logical kind of thinker. For this reason, historical background and chronological and cultural understanding of Bible stories is key to my understanding. I love it! This year, I seem to be concentrating on the idea that the world's first sin was to try to acquire more knowledge than God wanted us to have. That there is an innocence that is enjoyed with ignorance. (Not stupidity, which is different.) But that God speaks so much of us being like little children, lacking the worries that only come from the knowledge we have of them. Right now, that seems pretty broad, but I can't wait to narrow down the whole concept. (And no, I don't believe that's an oxymoron because I am seeking out GOOD knowledge, not the knowledge of good AND EVIL. I've already had that thought myself. :) That aside, if you are one who gains more from a "formal" study done with a group (and I have been there, ESPECIALLY when my kids were wee little and I could hardly form a thought of my own from the fatigue), my hands-down favorite Bible Study was "Growing Kids God's Way." It is a 4-6 month weekly course with other parents that study BY SCRIPTURE how to raise Godly kids. My favorite part about it, though, was that it was so PRACTICAL in application. It wasn't a bunch of broad concepts that you still have to figure out how to fit your own life, like I find some Bible studies to be. Some studies are WONDERFUL but leave me wondering "HOW do I carry that out." GKGW had a leading question - "What does that LOOK like?" DO NOT PROVOKE YOUR CHILDREN TO WRATH. What does that LOOK like? HOW do I chasten my child's improper behavior where he FEELS corrected rather than angry? Then we were shown actual procedures to try that for us, at least, worked wonders. I know my brother has taught the course before with his wife and they had similarly successful results. So that may answer your next question as well. But also I like Dr. Dobson's books and ones called "Parenting With Love And Logic" and "Grace Based Parenting." (Sorry, I can't find the books to credit the authors.) As far as what warning I would have about the ages they are at. It's simple. Enjoy every single one. Every single stage of their lives, as well as you can. I sometimes tell people it WILL GET EASIER. Thinking on that further, it really will just change with time. The challenges, I mean. But in a couple more years, you will at least probably feel much more rested and relaxed to enjoy it because eventually, you WILL get to once again sleep through the night. (Most nights anyway.) And that makes all the difference in the world! (Then if you're like me, you'll start MISSING the old stages and start thinking about grand kids already!) :)

Oh, and here's an afterthought, but for my next "formal" study, when the time is right, I'd like to do one of Beth Moore's studies of the Bible characters. I can't even remember which ones she's done. But in the past, I've really related to King David and Hannah and others. Doesn't she have one based on the life of Daniel? I've heard such great things about her studies but I wanted to hear her testimony first so I think I'm going to try "Get Out Of That Pit." Does anyone know if that contains her testimony? Believe it or not, as much as I've heard how "incredible" her testimony is, I can't find it anywhere. I guess it's the former news gal in me, but I like to understand where a source is coming from to help give context to what they are saying.

And while I am straying entirely off the topic, I would like to give a big ole' humongous THANK YOU to Sniz's hubby Big Doofus! (AKA Mr. Shumway, but it's just so fun typing the other and he's the kind of jovial mister that can laugh at himself and allow you to, too!) I'm pretty certain he resized my blog header to make my foot look more human and less like a predatory monster coming through your PC screen. Honestly, I've hesitated to ask him if he fixed this for me. He OFFERED to, and then I got busy and didn't respond and then WAH-LA! One day it looked better but I didn't want to actually ask "Hey, did you change my screen for me?" and have it read more like "Hey! Did you go invading my private space with your technical wizardry!" So I have yet to thank him for the kindest deed that I THINK he did for me. But he said he could do it and I think he may too big of a go-getter to wait around on my response. So Doofus....Robot....Shumway.....Sniz hubby......THANK YOU!!!!

Thanks for all of your questions and patience in my rambling. It was a lot of fun. (At least for me!)

A Hero Departing

I will get to answering questions from my last post (all two of them :) ) soon, but tonight would you please pray for someone very special to me who is leaving in a matter of hours for his second tour of duty to Iraq? His name is Aaron. He is serving you and me as one of the brave guards of our security and freedom. And that to me is not rhetoric, but absolute fact. He has also asked specifically for prayers for his ministry as a battalion chaplain. His heart is so burdened for those there, American and Iraqi, in need of Christ. Thank you also Joe & Michelle, Mike and Sky, and Sniz's brother for your bravery and service. I can't tell you how much I appreciate you sacrificing the time that you do with your own families, so that I can fully enjoy mine!

Whaddya Want To Know?

I saw this over at In The Midst Of It who got it from her mother at Scratchin' The Surface who attributed it to her sister at A Chelsea Morning who had it originating with 7000 Feet. Whew! But it looked fun - in a scary, roller-coaster, hold-your-breath-and-insanely-anticipate-something-wild kind of way. So here goes - if you could ask me anything, what would it be? I'll invoke Sarah's rule and say that you should be nice. Only ask something as personal as you would be willing to answer yourself. Then if anyone else would like to participate, feel free. I would love to get to know you a little better, too! Even though, through the magic of technology, I feel I can call many of you friends already. This is just our online slumber party of sorts. I'm feeling brave - sort of. Mom, I think this would be PERFECT for your next post. You're sort of slacking, you know. Although a vacation in the mountains with your honey is hard for me to call "an excuse." :) Have a superb Saturday!

BTW, thank you so much for the advice on my last post! It may be a while before I actually TRY your suggestions, but only because I'm taking God's advice right now to quit feeling so obligated to everything. He has reminded me that I started this blog as a record of life's lessons and memories for my kiddos, and they don't care one iota right now if I skip around or forget or if the posts are in chronological order. But one of these days, that post, and specifically your comments will be a great big help and so I thank you in advance!

Techi Help Needed

So, how do you get your photo to show up next to your comments on another person's blog? I know, right now I have a picture of a moth (no actual meaning behind that - I was just proud of how well my camera behaved for that particular photo, since it missed all manner of cute kid shots. Thanks Mom and Dad, for the NEW camera!!! Now all I need is time to post photos.) But I really have had a photo of myself to post until I lost that CD, but I would like to have it appear with my comments when I find it. Sometime. Hopefully by 2011 at the latest. : / Because right now, that IS optimistic. Anyway......

He's Six And He's Suave, I Tell You - I'm Proud!

"Mommy, when you buy a Happy Meal, do you have to pay for the toy?"

"Well.......they don't tell you there is a certain amount you must pay in order to get the toy. They just raise the price of the whole Happy Meal to make you FEEL like the toy is free. But, yes, the meal cost more to pay in order to pay for the toy."

"I KNEW it! ........that's stupid! And I bet even if you say not to give you the toy, you STILL have to pay the high Happy Meal price anyway."

"Actually, yes, that's right!"

"That is so unfair."

LOVE IS......

.......having your little guy ask whether you prefer his baseball cap facing forward or to the back, then watching him enthusiastically follow your suggestion.

........seeing a little girl go from being a little down to literally skipping across the kitchen, all because you told her how gorgeous she looks today. Then watching her smile as she does the dishes atop a step stool, just to be a blessing and a help.

.......having an 11-year-old boy come and lay down with his head in your lap, even if it is to manage a few extra minutes of morning sleep.

.......knowing a God kind and compassionate enough to put them all within the same day that was already going well to begin with, whether or not I "deserve" it.

More Trippin'

Part 2 - A Continuation of Post Below


I obviously spent more time playing than documenting this day. :)

On Saturday morning, my parents beat us up by about a half hour and had a delicious full breakfast waiting. We NEVER eat like that so the kids were actually willing to put up with food consumption before tearing into gifts. My grandma came over and we all took turns opening our presents, having lots of fun dismantling my mom's decorating. The original plan this year was for my parents to come to our home for Christmas, so my mom had done only minimal decorating at their place. But when the plan changed for us to be able to visit them, she swiftly used the gift packages AS the decor, creatively placing them throughout the living and dining rooms in strategic display. It was beautiful!

One really neat gift was from my grandmother to my children, her great-grandchildren. A couple of years ago, I had remarked to her how much I had enjoyed hearing several old stories of my father's past that I had never been told before. So she presented a booklet of stories to my kiddos for them to enjoy. I know this may sound like a yawner the bland way that I am describing it, but the particular stories she chose were specifically chosen to the kids individual interests and told with hilarity. She is an excellent writer and storyteller. The next day, my dad read the stories to the kids in "Storytellers mode" which was quite funny to watch, as well. He's not afraid to get crazy and act it out in order to make them laugh.

There were other highlights of the gift giving, including the new camera that captured these photos! I had to laugh at how coy my parents were able to remain as I spent the entire time at the ICE! exhibit trying to choke down an all out hissy fit over the trouble my camera was giving me. I certainly could catch nothing candid there because my useless piece of machinary wanted to cycle through the entirity of the menu before each and every photo, sometimes starting over just before I readied to snap. They even presented the equipment to print my own photos right at home. And finally, I have a camera cord to post them online again! The other two gifts they gave my husband and I were bar none the most generous either of us have EVER recieved. All we could do was sit in stunned silence for a good two minutes upon opening them. And then for the next five minutes, we simply repeated "WOW" over and over again.

The remainder of the day was spent on my parents 10 acre property, playing with new toys, tinkering in the wood shop, competing in DVD rounds of "Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?" (we're apparently not as educated as our diplomas would suggest), riding 4-wheelers (my personal favorite), and swimming. Yes, my parents have a pool. No, it's not heated. And yes, despite the Sunshine and southern locale, it DID feel like winter outside. In fact, I think I was pretty well chilled the entire time, but never so much as when I watched my kids run and jump into the shallow end of the pool, one by one. It was 48 degrees outside that day, but boy did they have a blast! A fast blast - maybe five minutes total from plunge to wrapped up in towels in the sun room, but still - it made for some hilarious pictures!

When evening came, we all cleaned up and met my brother, his wife and my niece for a nice Mexican food meal. The good food and conversation was a relaxing end to such a busy day. It was great to see Ashley, who was showing off with several new tricks, including holding up her two tiny fingers to indicate to me that she knows how old she is. She looked so pretty in the cutest polka-dot dress I think I've ever seen and big chunky thighs to match her rosy cheeks.

After dinner, Ashley was getting quite tired so they headed back home while we returned to ready for church the next day. I always love attending my parents' church, where we are treated just like a regular part of the family.......

Trippin'

There are so many angles I could use to approach the documentation of our most wonderful trip! We made so many beautiful memories and I don't want to forget a single one.

First, we were truly blessed to get to leave a full 12 hours earlier than we had at first anticipated. It may not seem like much, but it means the difference between arriving at lunch time and having the whole rest of the day to spend with my parents, or arriving at bedtime to a "Hi. How are you? You look great and I love you a lot but I've GOT to get to sleep soon." The former is so much sweeter. Especially this trip, since we didn't travel the full distance at one time, but met my parents in Dallas instead for the first activity in a multi-day birthday celebration. My son is not having a traditional party this year, for a whole host of reasons, so he pretty much had free reign of planning our entire weekend instead, which is quite a compromise. And we found out he's good at it.

Anyway, our first stop was at the Gaylord Texan hotel and conference center to view a unique and rare exhibit called "Ice!" There are only 3 such exhibits in the U.S. and we have all wanted to go for the past two years. Wow! Not (just) the Ice! exhibit, but the Gaylord! I know everything is bigger in Texas but still! This place was INCREDIBLE!!! Beautiful! Humongous! And perfectly suited to my personal tastes. I LOVED the upscale southwestern decor. (I spent my entire growing up years in Texas, and in Dallas specifically, so I'm gaudy like that.) The Ice! exhibit also was just........incredible. The artistic endeavor that went into sculpting 15,000 square feet of ice blocks into beautiful room-sized masterpieces of trains, and toy shops and nativities all lit from within with thousands of twinkling lights. I LOVED the looks on the kids faces as we entered each new room! And I'll forever treasure the looks on the faces of my parents and husband as well as I photographed each one descending a thirty foot ice slide in an 8 degree fort amidst the most robust laughter! I so appreciate my parents for their constant PARTICIPATION in their grandchildren's memories, rather than resting tired muscles from the sidelines. I know it's sometimes quite a sacrifice.

After the cold Ice! fun, we made our way over to the Rain Forest Cafe for a grand birthday dinner. But not before a major detour. Leaving for Texas earlier in the day, my parents had called to tell us they were waiting for us at the restaurant. We in turn told them we had gotten on the road about an hour and a half later than intended and had to go ahead and eat so we should change plans from lunch to dinner and head to Ice! first. They looked up the location on their GPS and we also did on ours. They headed over to the map's location - 45 miles away - and called us back an hour later, ASSURING us in no uncertain terms that that was most certainly the wrong location! We all figured out the mistake via cell phone communication and they headed to the correct place, which was within 2 miles of their original post at the Rain Forest Cafe! Good thing they found our guffaw as least as funny as it was inconvenient!

After putting our name in with the Cafe hostess, we had time to roam the mall for a few minutes of our wait. My daughter and I ducked into a shop glazed with sequins and satin on a hundred different fairy tale dresses until my older son came in to get us, giggling. We had been too utterly engrossed in pretty frou-frou to notice the hilarity taking place outside. The boys had spotted something they had never seen before. I had never seen something like this before. Nor had my hubby or my parents in all of their years of life. It was a red laced 5 ft. by 7 ft. bra, hanging merrily amongst the Christmas decor of the opposing store front! I almost lost it when one of the boys blurted, "Wow! absolutely EVERYTHING is bigger in Texas!" Then my husband added, "I didn't know the Jolly Green Giant had a wife!" Oh, have the kids had fun with that!

At dinner my mom tried to subtly ask our waitress for the staff to sing to Dalton for his birthday. She excitedly agreed and kept it well secret, until she brought the extra plates and forks to the table and inexplicably pointed at him with a swirling finger motion and a really obvious sly grin. We couldn't help but giggle that she was so unaware what a dead give away her actions were. But, she was friendly and fun and brought out a "Volcano brownie" big enough to feed us all with leftovers, so hey, let bygones be bygones.

The kids, of course, wanted to ride the remaining two hours of our trip to Grandma and "Graypa's" house with them, so we shifted a few gifts from one car to the other and made the late night drive. Greg and I used the time alone to serve as a fun date. Once again I couldn't help but celebrate the nostalgia of being back where I came of age - in the good ole' Lone Star state. It's funny, I've lived here now longer than I did in Texas, but that is where an overwhelming majority of my childhood memories were formed, and it still somehow fits to be there, even after all these years. My parents lived in Oklahoma only 5 of the years I've been old enough to remember, from when I was a high school junior to a recent college graduate, so I often joke that they moved here just to dump me off and move back. But Texas seems to accept us each time we visit. We always feel right at home.

Well, I'll have to split up this post. It's going to be much longer than I realized. And the weekend had only just begun.......